It is now established practice to convey bulk materials, such as coal, by means of pneumatic conveying equipment, the material being fed into a despatch vessel which is then supplied with compressed air, said air being utilized to transport the material from the vessel along an associated pipeline to a desired destination.
When loading ships either with hard-to-handle materials, whether they be cargo or fuel for the ship itself, such as coal to be stored in bunkers, it is currently usual to utilise mechanical means such as bucket and belt conveyors, mechanical grabs or the like.
It would be desired to be able to load ships with bulk materials by means of pneumatic conveying equipment. However, established systems of this type are incapable of accommodating the constant movement of a ship that takes place due to the influences of tide, loading ballasting and mooring drift.